The squadron was established as the
622d Bombardment Squadron (Dive) and activated on 4 February 1943 at
Key Field, Mississippi The squadron trained with
Douglas A-24 Banshee (Dauntless) dive bombers and
Bell P-39 Airacobra fighters and was redesignated the
508th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in August. After training was completed at
Myrtle Beach Army Air Field, South Carolina, the 508th deployed to the
European Theater of Operations, where it became part of
IX Fighter Command in England and was assigned
Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. The squadron became operational on 1 May 1944 and was redesignated as a fighter squadron at the end of the month. The squadron began operations by bombing and strafing targets in France to prepare for
Operation Overlord, the Normandy invasion. It provided top cover for landings in Normandy on
6 and 7 June 1944. On 6 July the squadron moved across the
English Channel to its advanced landing ground at
Chippelle Airfield, France. It provided
close air support for ground troops until the end of the war, The 508th assisted the
United States First Army in the breakout at
Saint-Lô on 28 through 31 July, when despite severe losses from
flak, the squadron and the other squadrons of the 404th group provided cover for four
armored divisions. It supported the drive through the Netherlands in September 1944, Allied operations during the
Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945, and
Operation Lumberjack, and helped defend the
expansion of Remagen bridgehead on the east side of the Rhine during March 1945. The squadron also flew
air interdiction,
strafing and bombing troop concentrations, railroads, highways, bridges, fuel and
ammunition dumps,
armored vehicles, docks and tunnels. In addition, it flew
fighter escort missions, covering operations of
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses,
Consolidated B-24 Liberators and
Martin B-26 Marauders. The squadron received a
Distinguished Unit Citation for three
armed reconnaissance missions it flew on 10 September 1944. Despite adverse weather and flak, the squadron attacked enemy communications, rolling stock and factories to support advancing ground forces. It was also awarded the
Belgian Fourragère after being cited three times in the
Belgian Army Order of the Day for operations contributing to the liberation of the Belgian people. After the
surrender of Germany, the squadron became part of the
occupying United States forces though the summer of 1945. It aided in disarming the
Luftwaffe and dismantling the German aircraft industry. The 508th returned to the United States and was inactivated in early November. ==Lineage==